Is it me, or does this splitter look dangerous?

[elkimmeg]

Really do you want to operate a giant screw just about Balls high? I doubt an athletic supporter /cup offers much protection when things do not work as planned.

Hopefully your wife has some input in this decision. I think I would rather shorten a finger than mess around with that middle appendage. Hog forget Lefty

What about stumpy

 

[karl]

Did you guys not read in the first post, that I said I wouldn't have it the same height as those guys did. And Elk, I'm going through a divorce, so I would hate to think where she would want to put that screw.

 

[Backhoe]

Here's my setup - to dispel the many impressions that this is run at waist height. I haven't seen any videos that do that at something other than the ground. At any rate, I'm trying to attach a picture (first time) to show how I do this. Note the plank so the dirt doesn't fly. Also, before anyone gets upset with the support, there is the jack that I just left there but there is log support on the frame before the jack and at the rear end of the car that you can't see. The tires are blocked so I feel safe. The car is a Chevy wagon with limited slip that I know works. BTW - its splitting elm which is ugly even with this. I think elm would probably do much better with a hydraulic splitter. Most woods on the screw just drop in two and you pick them up for the pile.

 

[karl]

Backhoe do you like it well enough to reccomend it so someone?

 

[Backhoe]

Karl - if this one broke and was unfixable, I would buy the stickler, definitely. As I mentioned in previous posts, I have not thrown away one piece of wood since using this. I don't have any experience with hydraulic splitters so I don't know if those have enough power for the ugly pieces that you don't throw wood away - such a waste with what I threw away when all I had was hand splitting - the good stuff was being thrown in the woods. I know this device scares most people but I think its safe. It certainly deserves respect which I most definitely give it. It does take about 20 minutes to set up on the car and take down so I generally put it together and do two or three days worth of work (intermittently) and then take it down. I usually set the trip meter on the car when I start so when I'm done I tell my friends "I just split 41.7 miles of wood". The car seems to get pretty much normal gas mileage while I'm splitting so the gas usage is not bad. I open the hood and turn on the heater fan to max. The only other thing is that the screw does get very hot and steams so I usually limit myself to about 45 minutes of splitting and then take a break. In my younger days...... I would split for about 30 minutes and then take a wet rag and place it on the screw - obviously when the engine was off, and then start splitting again. I would definitely buy another.

 

[Gibbonboy]

I doubt an athletic supporter /cup offers much protection when things do not work as planned.

Sure it does! Jockstrap and a light coat of Break-Free, you'll be fine- no "snagging" worries at all, unless you're really hairy.

 

[karl]

Thanks Backhoe. I'm not going to hook the stickler to a car though. I am going to make permanent setup with it.

 

[Backhoe]

Karl, please post the description and pictures of what you do build. I have thought of building something so I don't have to use the car and also rear wheel drive cars are not as available as they were 20 years ago. It seems to me you need something heavy and car go in reverse for the few that get stuck a bit. Good Luck.

 

[Gooserider]

Karl - if this one broke and was unfixable, I would buy the stickler, definitely. As I mentioned in previous posts, I have not thrown away one piece of wood since using this. I don't have any experience with hydraulic splitters so I don't know if those have enough power for the ugly pieces that you don't throw wood away - such a waste with what I threw away when all I had was hand splitting - the good stuff was being thrown in the woods. I know this device scares most people but I think its safe. It certainly deserves respect which I most definitely give it. It does take about 20 minutes to set up on the car and take down so I generally put it together and do two or three days worth of work (intermittently) and then take it down. I usually set the trip meter on the car when I start so when I'm done I tell my friends "I just split 41.7 miles of wood". The car seems to get pretty much normal gas mileage while I'm splitting so the gas usage is not bad. I open the hood and turn on the heater fan to max. The only other thing is that the screw does get very hot and steams so I usually limit myself to about 45 minutes of splitting and then take a break. In my younger days...... I would split for about 30 minutes and then take a wet rag and place it on the screw - obviously when the engine was off, and then start splitting again. I would definitely buy another.

I recently had a friend loan me a hydraulic splitter in the 20-30 ton range, and out of about 3-4 cords, much of it stuff that I had been avoiding while hand splitting I had ONE peice that I couldn't get down to "stove size" - it was about a 4 way crotch with a bunch of other branches, and I whittled it down to about half it's original size before giving up on what was left.

That said, with the gnarly stuff I found that I made a great many "chunks" that were less than stove length, and a lot of "banana splits" that were crooked, or much bigger on one end than the other, so it was not all "pretty" wood. However I did about the same when hand splitting.

Gooserider